Open-Source head-tracking software for iRacing!

[u/YogurtclosetCrafty31]

Hey all! Sharing an open-source software I built for my iRacing setup called OpenFOV. I've made it easy, free, and open source, so feel free to download and use it yourself.

I find sim-racing great for training racecraft, but I always develop "bad eye habits" from being boxed-in by my monitor's FOV. I find this to be a huge disparity between iRacing and real seat time. I could splurge for VR, but headsets are pricey and uncomfortable. They don't play well with glasses, either...

I saw a few demonstrations of hack-together tools and get a "head-tracking FOV" with a webcam to look around in-game. It was a bit annoying to set up and didn't offer much customization, but for what it was, it made a big improvement to my monitor setup.

So, (with the help of AI), I just went ahead and built an iRacing native software from scratch! I also cooked up a complete suite of customization options, so you can nerd out and really dial it in for your specific setup.

Hoping to gather some initial feedback from the community! So, if you have an old webcam lying around, dig it out, dust it off, and give this a try!

I'm physically limited to testing on my own setup, so please feel free to report any bugs or issues on the GitHub so I can get you up and running! :)

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Edit: Thank you for all the feedback so far!! 😁 Today, I released v0.2.1, which addresses a lot of the feedback I received over the past 24 hours. Keep it up!

Some general tips + info:
- OpenFOV CPU-bound, so if you're struggling with lag, try to raise the program's priority on your computer! Task Manager > Right Click on OpenFOV > Go to Details > Right Click on OpenFOV > Set Priority > High (0.2.1 should have this by default!)
- If you still find lag with the fps listed on the UI (< 30fps while running), then try lowering your iRacing settings a bit to reduce the load!
- OpenFOV can only publish values to iRacing at the speed of your camera's FPS, so higher FPS webcams look smoother! (I tried interpolating more frames using velocity, but it doesn't look good!)

Feel free to message me with any issues. Happy racing!!

[u/theyyg]

I hate to break it to you, but this will just teach you different “bad eye habits”. I’m a huge fan of head tracking, but I use triple monitors and ignore any head rotation. I keep translation so I can look around the A pillars. If I need rotation in a game, I turn it down by at least half.

[u/ShaftTassle → u/theyyg]

I have triples and a webcam, and that’s where my knowledge of all this ends. Teach me your ways, Obi-Wan.

[u/theyyg → u/ShaftTassle]

When the display is anchored to the car and not your face, you want the direction of the camera fixed to the car and your rig. In the head tracking software; disable pitch, yaw, and roll. Keep x, y, and z translation enabled.

The exception to this is yaw. If your field of view of your monitors is too narrow left to right, use the yaw. This virtually expands your field of view. With triples, I don’t think this is needed.

If you’re the type that like to look over their shoulder instead of use the mirrors, then you have two good options. Put a low linear mapping on yaw to exagerate your head turns, or put a big step in yaw at about 1/3 of thr way into your outside monitor and let is snap to the blindspot.

[u/penisrevolver → u/theyyg]

Sick settings bro let me give this a go on my single 27”. I bought a ps3 webcam a while ago because apparently it’s the best for trackIR.